links for 2010-10-22

"If the settlement is approved by a federal court, as expected, an untold number of Native American farmers who were denied loans and other assistance by the USDA will be able to apply for restitution, between $50,000 and $250,000 each — a total of $680 million. The settlement will also offer up to $80 million in debt forgiveness for eligible farmers.

"That will likely prove a boon to those seeking restitution. A similar settlement for African-American farmers not scheduled to be paid through the fund has been stalled in Congress for months. That settlement, called Pigford II, would provide restitution for black farmers to the tune of $1.25 billion. Several attempts to pass the appropriation, by attaching it to other bills and calling for unanimous consent, have failed. The same has happened with the Cobell settlement, which would provide money for Native Americans whose land trusts were mishandled by the government."

"So say, if you make a bunch of racist jokes, instead of contributing to the systemic oppression of POC, the bewitching might of Intent (I’m capitalizing the I now, to give it proper respect as a primary element) spreads out, blocking every single person from fully hearing the awful racist shit you just said, further preventing them from internalizing it and using it to justify actions. It also prevents it from creating an environment where racist behavior is seen as more acceptable, by twisting the very threads of fate there as well! And, the best part? If you say it in earshot of someone who’s offended or hurt by it, the occult powers of Intent change everything! Now, instead of hearing a hurtful slur or sentiment that reminds of past abuses at the hands of privileged fuckjobs, the marginalized person in question only hears the beautiful natural sound of birds chirping…..Because you see, Intent is just that powerful. It literally keeps anyone from getting hurt by your fuckery!"

"Conservative conspiracy website World Net Daily joined in, writing nearly 1,000 words of warning against the supposedly subversive series. Except, from all appearances, 'The 99' is about as subversive as baseball and mom's apple pie.

"The superhero group was created by Muslim psychologist Naif Al-Mutawa not to promote radical Muslim values, but specifically to confront them, and challenge the xenophobia preached by radical Imams (possibly the sort of views that have resulted in an American cartoonist going into hiding after challenging Muslim extremists). In an interview with PBS, Al-Mutawa recalls his inspiration for 'The 99,' which began with the familiar idea of 'Pokemon,' and his desire to create something for children with that kind of potential."

"Until recently, there have only been folk tales and insubstantial hints at how far Zheng He might have sailed. Then, a few years ago, fishermen off the northern Kenyan port town of Lamu hauled up 15th Century Chinese vases in their nets, and the Chinese authorities ran DNA tests on a number of villagers who claimed Chinese ancestry."

"I worked as executive assistant to the publisher for Town & Country magazine — the bible for wealthy WASPs — for a few years. Then I made a jump to being an executive assistant at D.E. Shaw, one of the 10 largest hedge funds in the world. (In other words, my day jobs couldn’t be more different than my side hustles!)

"Oh, and along the way I was also hostessing at restaurants here and there because for a workaholic like me, one day job just isn’t enough!"

"The setting of Boardwalk Empire coincides not only with Prohibition but the highest number of lynchings in American history. The race riots and subsequent lynchings that plagued urban hubs in and outside the southern United States in the early 1900s provided the backdrop for African American expression like Paul Lawrence Dunbar’s “The Haunted Oak” (1900), James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (1912), and Claude McKay’s poem “The Lynching” (1920).

"Lynching in the early twentieth century was the ultimate demonstration of white entitlement, the privilege to render a black body inhumane and obsolete.

"For Boardwalk producers and storywriters to allow Chalky White to take this hegemonic tool and use it to challenge said white privilege is a nod in the direction of a more complex definition of racial identity and masculinity in early 20th century America."

"I often find other people’s conceptions of culture lacking. Culture is not merely owned by brown people. We are not the only ethnic people. Our ethnicity, our heritage and our culture are not add-ons.

"Culture is not a knickknack you pick up on vacation. Culture is not the display of an object or a people. Culture is not inherently contained in things. Culture is not a toe-dip and a quick retreat. Culture is not looking at people. Culture is not an optional yearly visit or an afterthought.

"The proper descriptive term for these would be cultural tourism. Not culture."

"GLO (http://glotvnetwork.com) is the brainchild of Maurice Jamal, one of the few black gay directors making movies today, having worked with stars like Loretta Devine and Jenifer Lewis.

“Its about economic empowerment, our community showing if we can flex our muscle not only creatively, but also economically,” Jamal said. The site is subscription-based, offering full access for around $5 a month. GLO will be home to original programming, including a full-length TV series, Friends and Lovers, a spin-off to the director’s Ski Trip franchise, which premiered five years ago on MTV’s Logo network. It also will be shooting its own documentary series on a variety of topics relevant to the community: including HIV/AIDS and living as a transgender individual."

Race, Culture, and Identity in a Colorstruck World

About This Blog

Racialicious is a blog about the intersection of race and pop culture. Check out our daily updates on the latest celebrity gaffes, our no-holds-barred critique of questionable media representations, and of course, the inevitable Keanu Reeves John Cho newsflashes.

Latoya Peterson (DC) is the Owner and Editor (not the Founder!) of Racialicious, Arturo García (San Diego) is the Managing Editor, Andrea Plaid (NYC) is the Associate Editor. You can email us at team@racialicious.com.